Rwanda : Two arrested for smuggling minerals

Police in Nyamasheke districtÂ on September 17, arrested one Anicet Habyarimana a driver of Fuso truck RAB 703 Z carrying 2040Â kilogrammes of smuggled minerals which included Tin and Coltan.

Habyarimana, aged 31 was arrested with his colleague Innocent Musabyimana. They are being held at Ruharambuga Police station in Nyamasheke district. The smuggled minerals belonged to Gaferege Daniel.

The minerals were being transported to Kigali before being intercepted at a road check point on Rusizi-Kigali highway.

According to Rwanda National Police (RNP) sources in Nyamasheke District, the minerals are reported to be owned by Gakwerere Company which has operations in Rusizi and Nyamasheke districts but by the time of the arrest, the duo are suspected to have been using forged documents to transport and trade the minerals.

They are reported to have been trying to evade taxes because they had no valid documents to allow them transport the minerals to Kigali.

Another case of smuggled minerals was reported in Nyamagabe district where a vehicle carrying about 1900 kilogrammes of cassiterite was intercepted by Rwanda National Police in Revenue Protection Unit.

The arrest shows that there is work being done towards curbing the habit of smuggling goods in a bid to evade taxes since the Rwanda National Police and Rwanda Revenue Authority signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cement the partnership to prevent, detect and investigate cases related to combating tax evasion and smuggling recently.

â€œPeople are advised to avoid smuggling Â Â because it affects the countryâ€™s economy through tax evasion. Doing business in Rwanda is now easier and people should use this advantage other than resorting to doing illegal business,â€ the police spokesperson Theos Badege

Police appeals to the public to cooperate with the police by providing reliable information in order to deter, detect smugglers while protecting the national economy.

All departments involved in anti smuggling have also undergone comprehensive training to combat smuggling, which is mostly facilitated by the nature of Rwandaâ€™s porous borders.